Villa Albertine Celebrates Five Years of Its Landmark Residency Program 

NEW YORK, September 15, 2026—Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education within the French Embassy in the United States, today officially marked the fifth anniversary of its pioneering Artist Residency program. The groundbreaking cultural exchange between France and the U.S. was launched in 2021 to redefine traditional residency models with uniquely field-based experiences throughout the U.S. that are grounded in exploration, openness and creative freedom. Within the past five years, over 370 residents have been hosted across more than 60 U.S. cities and regions. Villa Albertine residencies have given rise to more than 100 creative works—including novels, films, documentaries, immersive experiences, design and fine craft collections, exhibitions, musical and choreographic collaborations, and museum partnerships, ultimately strengthening cultural ties between France and the United States. 

“We believe in the transformative power of encountering otherness through arts and ideas,” comments Mohamed Bouabdallah, Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy in the United States and Director of Villa Albertine, who believes in the freedom to create, in the courage to experiment and transmit knowledge and move ideas across borders and disciplines. “By creating opportunities for artists, thinkers, students, and institutions to connect across borders, we’re enabling the freedom to move, to question, and to encounter the unfamiliar—because a change in perspective often sparks new ideas and can shape lasting connections.”

Marking its fifth anniversary, Villa Albertine proudly highlights a dynamic portfolio of artistic accomplishments born from its residency program, including:

• Nina Léger—Léger’s residency in California gave rise to the critically acclaimed novel Mémoires sauvées de l’eau, which won the 2024 Historical Novel Prize and reflects her exploration of erased histories and environmental transformation.
• Claire Houmard & Charlotte Fauve—In Alaska, Houmard and Fauve collaborated with the Yupi’k community on an ambitious archaeological project, leading to the preservation of over 100,000 artifacts and the publication of Alaska: L’usure du monde, illustrating the program’s impact beyond the arts.
• Alice Diop—During her residency in New York, Diop developed Fragments for Venus, a short film exploring the representation of Black women in art and society. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, reflecting the program’s role in supporting internationally acclaimed work.
• Julia Ducournau—In New York, Ducournau’s research into the early AIDS crisis informed the development of her feature film Alpha, which was selected for the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival, underscoring the residency’s impact on major cinematic productions.
• Chloé Dufresne—Exploring orchestral culture across several U.S. cities, Dufresne’s residency led to her appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, marking a significant milestone in her international career.
• Nicolas Floc’h—Following his time along the Mississippi River, Floc’h developed Fleuves Océan: Mississippi Watershed, exhibited at the New Orleans Museum of Art, offering a powerful reflection on environmental and ecological challenges.
• Elsa Mroziewicz and Cécile Palusinski— In Miami, Mroziewicz and Palusinski co-developed Les Villes Flottantes, an immersive project examining rising sea levels and climate change, presented at the United Nations Ocean Conference and in major exhibitions.
• Phuong Mai Nguyen— Drawing from her residency on the West Coast and in Hawaii, Phuong Mai Nguyen created the animated feature In Waves, which premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, highlighting the global reach of projects developed through Villa Albertine.
• Wanjiru Kamuyu—Through her Dance Season residency, Wanjiru Kamuyu researched the body as a means of liberation, inspiring Fragmented Shadows, a performance work that premiered at New York Live Arts and toured major U.S. venues.
• Chloé Bensahel—During her residency in Boston, she collaborated with the MIT Media Lab to explore the connections between textiles, memory, and technology, developing interactive textiles responsive to sound, touch, and music, which led to her appointment as an Affiliate Researcher at MIT, where she is now developing AI-enabled textile works in collaboration with MIT and IRCAM.
• Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet—Created during his Villa Albertine residency in New York City, Lyet’s De l’autre côté de la pluie follows two characters through the colors, sounds, and rhythms of New York, offering a poetic and illustrated reflection on French immigration and belonging.
• Alain Damasio—During his San Francisco residency, Damasio investigated the human impact of Big Tech and digital surveillance, inspiring Vallée du Silicium, a widely acclaimed essay.
• Eve George—Inspired by her research on the relationship between water and New York City’s urban environment, George created Brume, a collection of glass objects exploring the three states of water and reimagining contemporary rituals of dining and gathering.

Mr. Bouabdallah adds, “Our ambition is to nurture people-to-people connections between French and American societies, and foster creative work that keeps exchange, creativity and mutual understanding between our two cultures alive.”

The Tradition Continues

Villa Albertine’s Fifth Anniversary and 2027 residency cohort were recently honored at a ceremony at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France, hosted by Mr. Bouabdallah and attended by a handful of industry tastemakers and thought leaders, including Euzhan Palcy, Jean-Brieuc Chevalier, Myriam Rabah-Konaté, Harry Allouche, Jeff Guess, and Clara Daguin. 

The new cohort is composed of more than 60 artists and thinkers that will carry forward the program’s spirit of exploration across nearly 25 U.S. cities and regions beginning early next year. Selected by juries of leading figures from the American cultural landscape and chaired by Glenn Lowry, Director Emeritus of The Museum of Modern Art, the new cohort will spend up to three months immersing themselves in new environments, engaging with diverse communities and developing individual projects at a formative stage of their creative process. 

From investigations into artificial intelligence and new media to explorations of history, identity, and ecology, the 2027 residents will engage deeply with American territories and communities, continuing to redefine artistic practice through dialogue, experimentation and exchange.

For more information about Villa Albertine and its Artist Residency program, visit Villa-Albertine.org or follow along on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.